Sam Prologue
by Jellephant
Summary: Sam has had a tough time recently. With a mentally abusive father and a mother who can't even remember Sam's name, he isn't in the best situation right now. Let's just say that problems start escalating when Sam starts seeing things that other people can't. WIP- This is just the prologue. Constructive criticism is wanted.


Sam loved the satisfying _click_ of the latches on his viola case when he shut it. Of course, it was only 2 o'clock on a Sunday evening, and he would keep playing if he had the choice. His father had left for an impromptu meeting at his office, so Sam had to watch after his younger brother and his friend who had come to visit. That was the rule; Sam couldn't play while he was babysitting. The last time he did, his younger brother Jake got locked outside for 3 hours in the rain and Sam had been too engulfed in the music to hear his cries for assistance. He had heard the knock on the door that announced the arrival of Jake's friend, Rafael. Sam always thought that his parents must've been out of their minds to name him that, because "Rafael" made him sound far too classy. He was always bouncing off the walls, hyper, and getting Jake into trouble. Even worse was the fact that it was rainy today, meaning that the two second-graders would have to be cooped up inside for the rest of the day. The fog was so thick that Sam couldn't see out the window. He realized that he had drifted off before scurrying over to open the door for Rafael and his mother. "Thank you!" He called to her over the sound of the rain; but she had already rushed back to her car. Perhaps even Rafael's own mother could only handle being around him for so long. Immediately after Sam closed the door, the two younger boys ran into Jake's room. Sam sighed with relief. It wouldn't be so bad if they stayed in that room the whole time. He sank down in a chair in the living room and pulled out his phone. His best friends Michael and Ramsey had texted him! He unlocked his phone and began to read them until Jake and Rafael burst into the living room holding a beat-up soccer ball (their destructive German Shepard, Ace, had gotten to it) and sporting muddy shin-guards. Jake had already started fiddling with the doorknob when Sam put away his phone and stopped them. "It's pouring rain out there. You're not going out." "It's not even raining anymore! It's just foggy," Jake protested; stomping his feet. "Whatever. It's still muddy and you could slip or something. I don't really want to have to explain to Dad why you cracked your head open." Sam's father had never been happy with his passion for the viola. He insisted that Sam should be more "manly" and play a sport. Sam had tried baseball once, and he had spent the rest of the season with a broken arm. Athletics were not his strong suit. His dad never really connected with him the way his mom had, before the car accident that had left her with an awful head injury. She lived in a senior care center now, even though she was only 40, because her Alzheimer's was getting worse every day. Sam couldn't let anything bad happen now, because his dad always showed favoritism towards Jake and that certainly wouldn't help his case if Jake got hurt. Suddenly, Dam jerked his head up and looked out of the window next to the door. It was foggier than Sam had ever seen it, but he could see a silhouette in the backyard. Someone was out there, staring in a different direction. He couldn't see their face. "We're going to go into my room and call Dad, okay?" He said quietly, not taking his eyes off of the silhouette. " "Why?" Rafael said, much too loudly. "Ssshhh!" Sam hushed him urgently. "There's a person standing inside out fence." Rafael and Jake instantly pressed their faces against the window to look. "No!" Sam whispered, pushing them down to keep them out of sight. "There's literally nothing there, Sam!" Jake said. "It's just because you aren't wearing your glasses. It's probably a weird shadow. It looks like the dog is clearing up. We're going outside whether you like it or not!" Jake shouted. At this loud noise, the silhouette turned and looked directly at Sam through the window. Sam froze. He heard the doorknob turning next to him, but it didn't matter. What would he look away? It was mesmerizing. All too late, he realized that Rafael had run out the door, directly towards the silhouette. Sam was about to call out, but his words wouldn't come. He was shocked. Rafael had disappeared into thin air, along with the mysterious figure. Jake was looking out the window, unphased. "What's wrong with you, Sam? Rafael just got hidden by the fog," Jake said, and ran outside. Sam still couldn't move. His breath was coming in short, shallow gasps and his head was spinning. Something wasn't right about what just happened. He heard Jake calling for his lost friend in the backyard. Sam's heart split in two. It was a lost cause. He had no idea what just happened, but he had a feeling that Rafael wouldn't be coming back. His dad walked in through the door right at that moment. "My meeting was canceled," he said, "what happened here, Sam? I can't believe you let them outside! They could've gotten hurt, or..." Sam didn't listen to the rest. His father shoved him down the hallway, and into his room. Sam's father had given him the room that locked from the outside when they moved in, and Sam knew that it wasn't a coincidence. He heard the lock turn. But he didn't care at this point. He felt sick. This was all his fault. He shouldn't have let them go outside, but that silhouette... Neither of the boys had seen that figure. Neither knew what he was talking about. How come Sam could see it when the others couldn't? It didn't make any sense. Sam didn't sleep at all that night, or the next, as he lay in wait for his father to unlock the bedroom door. He couldn't shake the feeling that this was only the beginning.


End file.
